


we can start tonight.

by katarama



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Break Up, F/M, First Dates, Getting Together, Jealousy, Pack Sleepovers, Sleepovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-05
Packaged: 2018-07-21 18:19:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7398415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katarama/pseuds/katarama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Going out with someone who would make Jackson jealous,” Lydia repeats thoughtfully.  “Someone that might make him insecure.”</p><p>Scott can feel the entire table’s gaze coalesce onto him, and his cheeks heat up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	we can start tonight.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LittleRoseTrove](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRoseTrove/gifts), [ericaismeg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericaismeg/gifts).



Jackson and Scott have never exactly gotten along.

Scott has never really thought of Jackson as someone he _hated_.  Scott doesn’t hate many people.  Scott likes to try to find something good in everyone.  But Scott never entirely disagreed with Stiles when Stiles used to rant about where Jackson should stick his crosse.  And Scott definitely would be lying if he said that he _enjoyed_  being Jackson’s lacrosse co-captain, because as good at playing lacrosse as Jackson is, team building skills and cooperation are not Jackson’s strong points.

Still, Scott could deal with Jackson.  Jackson wasn’t always Scott’s favorite person, but they could get along when they had to.  Jackson has mostly forgiven Scott for that time that Lydia kissed Scott in a storage closet, when Scott didn’t exactly not kiss back.  And Scott can’t exactly hold it against Jackson anymore when Jackson used his eyelashes and cheekbones on Allison to try to manipulate Scott into do what he wanted.

Even more so lately than usual, though, Scott has not been Jackson’s biggest fan.

Lydia and Jackson’s breakup wasn’t pretty.  A blunt text ending years of on again, off again from two people who could have been very compatible.  But things died down, for a while.  Lydia took some time off dating to refocus on herself.  Jackson poured himself into classes and the lacrosse team, spending more time at the school than Stiles thought any jock had the right to.  For a little bit, it seemed like the two could be amicable exes, even though their relationship was contentious.

And then, Jackson’s string of hook-ups started.

Scott does believe there’s nothing wrong with getting around.  If it were just a matter of having a lot of sex, Scott wouldn’t have had an issue with it.  But the way Jackson went about it was, well.  Not the greatest.  Allison had to flat out told him that she wasn’t gonna be a rebound for her best friend’s ex, and rumors went around about Danny rejecting a drunken make out attempt with Jackson at a party.  But a lot of people Lydia used to be “friends” with get seen playing tonsil hockey with Jackson at the movies, or behind the bleachers by the lacrosse field.  

Scott can tell Lydia is upset.  She doesn’t lash out against Jackson, like everyone expects her to.  She keeps her head high and her heels higher.  But with Jackson and his posse gracing the lunch table less, Lydia’s been talking to Scott more, and he can tell.  He can see the way she looks at Jackson when she thinks no one’s looking, soft and hurt and vulnerable.  

It makes Scott ache, seeing her look like that.  He wants to hug her close and tell her it will be okay.  That he’ll find a way to make it okay.  He doesn’t know how, because he knows from his breakup with Allison that there is no shortcut to escaping feelings.  But he feels the overwhelming urge to promise it, anyway.

And then, things go too far.

They’re at a party, something thrown by one of the guys on the lacrosse team.  Lydia shows up in her cutest dress, her hair perfectly curled and her lips vivid red.  She looks gorgeous, and she’s getting glances from all over the room,.  She looks like she’s actually enjoying herself, too, working the room, dancing with Allison.  Ignoring the fact that Jackson’s being loud and obnoxious right across the room.

“You should go talk to her,” Stiles says to Scott.  Scott knows he’s been guilty of looking, just like everyone else.  He feels embarrassed, if he’s being overt enough that even Mr. Subtlety Stilinski is calling him out on it.  Scott knows that Lydia’s just out of a relationship, and he doesn’t want to pressure her, or be pushy, or too much.

“It’s just talking to her, dude,” Stiles says.  “She’s like.  Ten feet away, you can do it.”

Scott catches Allison’s eye, first, a safe instinct, and she waves them over.  Stiles flashes Scott an encouraging grin, and Scott starts making his way to the two girls.

Scott isn’t sure how things happen so quickly.  One second he’s walking towards Lydia, Lydia and Allison exchanging a Look and Lydia smiling surprisingly softly, and the next…

“What the _fuck_ , dude?”

Jackson’s standing in front of Stiles with a drink in his hand a smirk on his face.  Scott wasn’t paying attention before, too much noise making him block it all out, but he’s laser focus now, his ears wide open.

“What, don’t act like you aren’t desperate for dick wherever you can get it,” Jackson sneers.  “I just asked if you wanted to find an empty bedroom.  I’m practically doing you a _favor_.”  

Jackson looks towards Lydia, meets her eyes for a solid beat.  An “I know you’re there, and I’m doing this anyway.”  Scott swoops in before Stiles gets himself too riled up over it and tries to punch Jackson in the face (again).  But as he’s pulling Stiles away, he glances at Lydia.

He doesn’t have to look to know what’s written on her face.  But the way the hurt gets shuttered over, the softness in her eyes going hard, still makes Scott want to let Stiles loose so someone, at least, lamps Jackson.

* * *

 

“This is getting out of hand,” Allison says the next day at lunch.  

The chair at the end of the table where Jackson used to sit is blissfully, conspicuously empty.  Sometimes Danny fills it, stopping by to sit backwards in the chair and chat for a while.  Today he’s at band lunch, though, so they’re having this Talk without him.

“He’s got a lot of nerve,” Stiles grouses.  “Like he thinks he can just waltz right up and try to put his tongue down my throat and make me like him any more.  Just because he’s got angular cheekbones doesn’t mean-”

“Try to keep your boner under control, Stiles, it’s embarrassing,” Lydia says sharply, and Stiles’ face goes as hot as her pink nails.  “He didn’t do anything but flirt with you.  If Jackson wants to sleep around, he can.  I certainly can’t help his poor taste.”

“Try to keep your jealousy under control, Lydia,” Stiles mutters under his breath.  Allison nudges his knee under the table gently, and he softens, shooting Lydia a sullen but apologetic look.

“I’m not the really jealous one of the two of us,” Lydia says.  Although Stiles looks skeptical, Scott doesn’t actually disbelieve her.  Watching a boy she probably still loves, at least a little bit, publicly fooling around with a lot of her friends right after the breakup is something that would be rough on anyone.  Scott actually can’t think of a time when he’d seen her be actively jealous, though there might be something he doesn’t know about.

“Then you should hit him where it hurts.  Fight fire with fire,” Stiles suggests.  “If he’s the jealous one, kick him in the balls.”

“Not literally,” Allison adds.

“Or literally,” Stiles suggests.  “He’d be having a lot less sex if he didn’t have functioning balls.”

“Stiles,” Scott says, stopping that train of thought before it gets too deep.  Although Scott knows Stiles (maybe) doesn’t mean it, there are much better ways to deal with Jackson than violence.  “It will probably go away if we just let it die down.”

Lydia looks thoughtful, though, and if Scott has learned anything from his group of friends, it’s that thoughtfulness means trouble.  “Stiles might actually have a point.”

“Hell yeah,” Stiles says, his fist pumping in the air, Lydia’s earlier dig forgotten.  “Of course I’m right.  Aim for the balls.”

“Not about that,” Lydia says.  “About fighting fire with fire.  It should be easy to make him jealous.”

“If you need a volunteer to make out with you in the hallway…” Stiles starts, but Allison silences him with a raised eyebrow.

“No,” Lydia says.  “I don’t even need that.  Not if I choose the right person.”

The idea that’s starting to form is making Scott a little nervous.  He thinks Jackson is being a bit of a dick, sure, but Scott isn’t Stiles.  Scott doesn’t think that encouraging Jackson and Lydia to hurt each other is the best approach, and fueling the fire seems like maybe not the best course of action.  Stiles is totally on board, though, and Allison hasn’t said anything, if she isn’t.  Scott watches as Lydia’s expression goes from thoughtful to determined, that switch that means that Lydia’s already starting to plan.

“Who’s the right person, then?” Allison asks.  Scott kinda wishes she weren’t encouraging Lydia, but he recognizes at this point that it’s a lot cause.  “One of his friends?”

“He only _really_  has one friend,” Lydia says dismissively, “and Danny doesn’t like girls.”

“I would volunteer,” Stiles says.  “I mean, if you want someone who would make him jealous, because I said no to him, and yes to you.  That might be a kick in the gut.”

“Someone who would make him jealous,” Lydia repeats, steamrolling Stiles’ last ditch hope.  Even Stiles looks unsurprised.  “Someone that might make him insecure.”

Scott can feel the entire table’s gaze coalesce onto him, and his cheeks heat up.  “Uh, right.  Someone that might make him insecure.  Are you sure you actually want to do this?  I’m sure you guys can just talk this out, and-”

“She wants to take you out on a date,” Allison stage whispers to Scott, just loud enough that the entire table can hear.  

“You don’t have to,” Lydia says.  “I don’t want to pressure you into this.  But I would really like if you did this for me.  Just one date.  I’ll even pay, since I asked you.”

Everything in Scott is screaming that this is a terrible idea and that he shouldn’t get involved.  He has to deal with Jackson every day at lacrosse practice, and this isn’t really his battle to fight.  He doesn’t want to make anyone jealous, or to enable the feud to continue.

It would be a chance to make Lydia feel a little bit better, though.  And Scott would be lying if he said he didn’t want to go on a date with Lydia, even though he knows it wouldn’t be a _real_  date.  

“Offer to tutor him in math, or something,” Stiles chips in.  “Copies of all your notes.”

“You don’t have to-” Scott starts, because bribery is not the way to help him decide.

“You can have that, if you want,” Lydia says, though.  “Math tutoring.”

Scott looks at her for a long moment, seeing the way there’s hope in her eyes, and Scott is weak.  

“Okay.  Does this weekend work for you?”

“If we go Saturday we might even run into Jackson at the restaurant,” Lydia says, pleased.  “I know all his favorite places.”

“Sounds great,” Scott says.  

He isn’t sure he didn’t just make a terrible, terrible decision.

* * *

 

Scott picks his outfit carefully and does his hair and tries not to let the butterflies flutter around in his stomach.  He’s not been on a date since Allison, and he really, genuinely likes Lydia.  He’s excited to spend time with her, to listen to her talk about the things she’s interested in and to maybe even see her drop her guard, a little bit.  

He knows it isn’t a real date, but he’s going to treat it like one, anyway.  He picks Lydia up right on time, opens the door for her and lets her pick the radio station and lets her navigate to the restaurant she picked out.  Scott expects the ride there to be awkward or stilted, or for Jackson to be the focus of the conversation, but he’s pleasantly surprised.  He and Lydia talk comfortably the entire way there, Jackson looming in both of their heads, but never being mentioned once.

“He always takes Saturday dates here,” Lydia finally confides when they arrive outside.  “If he’s out tonight, we’re bound to see him here.”

Scott almost brushes it off, says something noncommittal.  He feels like this is his last chance to step in, though, his last chance to prevent this from escalating.

“You know you don’t have to do this, right?” Scott says softly.  “You don’t have to go on this date.  You don’t have to show off for Jackson.  You don’t have to one-up him.  And if it really makes you feel better, then I’m in, but.  Taking the high ground is okay, too.  I can take you back to your place, and we can pretend this never happened.  Or, if you still want to go on a date, just not here, I can do that, too.  We can go to the diner, or that new Italian place downtown.  But you don’t have to force a confrontation.  And you don’t need to bribe me with tutoring to get it.”

Lydia is quiet for a long moment, the quiet hum of the music and the car’s engine cutting through the silence.  Scott waits patiently for her to make her mind up; he’ll go with whatever she decides, in the end, but he wants it to be her decision, and what she actually wants.

“I miss him,” is what finally breaks the silence.  “We were friends before we were dating.  Before he was co-captain, and before I got boobs.  He was there for my parents’ divorce, and.  I didn’t have a lot of good friends.  Now we’re not dating and not friends.  I have friends, now.  Allison, Danny.  You.  Even Stiles, maybe.  I still love him, though.  I still miss him.”

Scott kills the engine and holds his hand out to her, his stomach doing flips when she hesitates, then places her own hand in it.  “You don’t have to be okay,” Scott tells her firmly.  “You don’t always have to be perfectly put together.”

“I’m not going to let him see me weak,” Lydia says.  She squeezes Scott’s hand a little more tightly, and Scott smiles.  “He’s doing this on purpose.  I know why he’s doing it.”

“Hurting isn’t being weak,” Scott says.  “At least, that’s what my mom said.  It kinda feels like it, when you’re hurting.  But my mom’s usually right about this stuff.  She’s pretty smart.”

Lydia laughs at that, and Scott smiles at her, his cheeks dimpling.  Scott lets go of her hand and watches as she smooths her skirt.  

“How about this,” Scott says.  “We can go home and order a pizza.  We can watch TV or something on Netflix for a little bit.  If you want to cry or rant or talk about it, we’ll pretend it never happened later.  I’ll tell Stiles to talk to Allison and leave it be on Monday at school.  And we can do this as often as you need to.”

Scott’s surprised when Lydia undoes her seatbelt buckle and leans across the seat, her arms wrapping around Scott to pull him into a hug.  “Thai food, instead,” she says, her voice thick, “and I’m still paying.”

“Deal,” Scott says, wrapping his arms around her.

* * *

 

They decide to make it a sleepover, so Scott drives by Lydia’s house to let her gather up a bag with her pajamas and toiletries.  Her pajamas are unsurprisingly short and flouncy and lacy, but Scott is good and doesn’t look.  

They watch through a bunch of episodes of Friends, and Lydia picks out an artsy movie to watch.  Lydia hovers over the google searchbar for a long moment before finally typing in The Notebook, and by the end, she’s tearing up, smearing eyeliner into Scott’s soft sleeping shirt.  Scott figures it’s a Jackson thing, and he doesn’t entirely know what to say.  He’s a little teared up, too.  It’s a sad movie.

“You know I wanted to go on the date with you, right?” Lydia asks after they’ve brushed their teeth and washed their faces, after Scott finishes blowing up the air mattress to sleep on.  “Maybe the reason I gave you was bad, but I wanted to.  You’re sweet, and good at kissing.  And smart.  I know you don’t actually need math tutoring.”

“I wanted to go on a date with you, too,” Scott responds.  “Not out of revenge, though.  And not as a rebound.  If you need some time, I’m in no hurry.”

“I won’t need much,” Lydia promises.  “As long as we can do this again.”

“Yeah,” Scott says, smiling at her.  “I had fun, too.”

* * *

 

A month or two passes, and Jackson does settle down.  Lydia seems happier, even to the people who don’t know her.  She smiles more, and not even always in the sharp way.  She is still as perfectly put together as always, but there’s no maybe about Stiles being her friend, and he and Allison stop by sometimes for their Saturday night sleepovers.

“No one’s coming over to Scott’s house tomorrow night,” Lydia announces one Friday at lunch.  Stiles’ face furrows up in confusion, but Allison looks like she’s barely containing her amusement.

“They aren’t?” Scott asks.  “Why not?”

“You won’t be there, of course,” Lydia says.  “We’re going out for dinner someplace nice.”

“Like a date?” Scott blurts out before he can help it, and Allison starts actually giggling.

“If you want it to be,” Lydia responds, and the grin that forms on Scott’s face is so bright it outshines the sun.

“No one’s coming over to my house tomorrow night,” Scott announces to the table.  “I’m going on a date with Lydia.”

“About time,” Stiles says exasperatedly, throwing his hands into the air, but Scott can’t do anything but smile.

**Author's Note:**

> On tumblr [here](http://sleepy-skittles.tumblr.com).


End file.
